Chapter 773: Profiting From Others!

Amidst the uproar of public opinion condemning Johnny Depp, an important piece of news went largely unnoticed by the masses.

Annapurna Pictures declared bankruptcy less than three years after its establishment.

The company defaulted on bank loans, leading the bank to seize its assets. The most valuable of these assets was the copyrights of several films.

Three completed films included "The Lone Ranger" and "Transcendence," both released, and "The Seventh Son," which failed to find a distributor.

One film currently in post-production was "Zero Dark Thirty," directed by Kathryn Bigelow.

Megan Ellison's bank loan amounted to a staggering $250 million.

For ordinary people, even ordinary billionaires, repaying this amount of money would be incredibly difficult.

Megan Ellison herself lacked the capacity to do so.

This was when the advantage of having a powerful father came into play. Larry Ellison personally intervened to settle Megan Ellison's debt.

However, the condition was that Megan Ellison had to leave Hollywood and return to San Francisco.

Even a billionaire can't continually plug the financial hole created by his ambitious daughter. He might do it once, but not without significant regret.

This situation highlights the adage that the super rich are not afraid of their children indulging in luxuries but are fearful of their children's attempts at ambitious ventures.

In another timeline Martin had experienced, Megan Ellison's Annapurna Pictures was an awards season powerhouse, garnering 52 Oscar nominations. It followed the Oscar-winning route and was highly successful after Weinstein Pictures.

However, the Oscars are no longer the Oscars of the 1980s and 1990s. Winning awards purely by catering to the tastes of old white men is no longer viable. In the rapidly evolving LGBT era, the films appreciated by the Oscars have become disconnected from mainstream audiences and basic market principles.

Behind Annapurna Pictures' Oscar triumphs lay commercial failure.

Award-winning films often cost tens of millions of dollars, but even with multiple Oscar nominations, they could only muster a few million dollars at the box office.

Arts awards alone can't sustain studio companies.

In this world, Annapurna Pictures chose a commercial path but fell into a deep pit, partly due to the involvement of Johnny Depp.

Megan Ellison exited the foyer of the office building and got into her car. Shortly after driving off, she said, "Stop."

Derrett, who was driving, brought the car to a halt.

Megan Ellison lowered the window and gazed at the Annapurna Pictures office building. Leaving today meant it would be difficult to return.

Suddenly, several commercial vehicles pulled up at the entrance of the office building. A group of people led by Judith exited the cars and began taking over the small building.

Megan Ellison turned back abruptly and said, "Let's go."

The car sped towards the airport. Larry Ellison had dispatched a private plane to Los Angeles to retrieve Megan and bring her back to San Francisco.

As they neared the airport, Megan received a banking notification on her phone.

The bank, having taken control of Annapurna Pictures' remaining assets, announced plans to sell the rights to "The Seventh Son" and "Zero Dark Thirty."

For the bank, holding onto films without immediate financial returns was futile.

...

At Burbank Davis Studio, Harris Carter had just returned to Los Angeles from New York and hurried over to see Martin.

The several-month-long acquisition and sale journey had been remarkably successful.

"Hi, Bruce," Harris greeted Bruce first, then pulled out a chair and sat across from Martin. He extracted a document from his briefcase and handed it to Martin. "All the details and documents are in here."

Martin opened the folder and quickly skimmed through the contents.

Harris began summarizing: "Over this period, I used various entities to acquire many of Depp's assets at significantly reduced prices. These include his ocean-view villa in Malibu, the super apartment occupying the entire top floor of the Columbia Building, the duplex apartment on the Upper East Side of New York, the villa in the 16th arrondissement of Paris, the wine estate in Bordeaux, and the antique two-masted yacht."

Martin nodded slowly, absorbing the value of these acquisitions.

Harris continued: "We're not the only ones targeting Depp's assets. There are several businessmen in the mix. Depp's hillside villa in Beverly, the castle in London, the farm in Kentucky, as well as his collection of famous wines and various luxury items and classic cars, have fallen into other hands."

Martin remarked, "It's still impressive to have secured these."

Harris smiled. "We got the inside scoop early and have been diligently monitoring Depp's asset details. That gave us a competitive edge."

Bruce, who had also been involved in this acquisition spree, asked with curiosity, "Which ones have been sold so far?"

Harris replied, "The antique two-masted yacht was sold to JK-Royal. The villa in the 16th arrondissement of Paris went to French actress Léa Seydoux, the wine estate in Bordeaux was purchased by an Eastern star, and the Columbia Building penthouse was bought by Sandra Bullock, netting a total profit of $25.77 million."

He paused briefly before adding, "We are currently negotiating with a singer for the duplex apartment in New York's Upper East Side. Several wealthy individuals from South Asia are interested in the Malibu ocean-view villa, and those discussions are still ongoing."

Martin nodded approvingly. "You moved quickly, thank you for your hard work."

As the actual manager, Harris received additional compensation beyond his share of the company's stock.

They continued chatting when Bruce's phone rang. He glanced at the screen, then shared the news. "The latest update is that the bank has fully taken over Annapurna Pictures and is preparing to sell off its assets."

He turned to Martin. "This includes 'Seventh Son' and Kathryn Bigelow's 'Zero Dark Thirty,' which is currently in post-production."

Martin didn't hesitate. "Harris, I want you to approach the bank and try to buy these two films. 'Seventh Son' should be acquired for a maximum of $30 million. If the price exceeds that, abandon it."

'Seventh Son' had struggled due to the failures of 'The Lone Ranger' and 'Transcendence,' making it difficult to find a distributor willing to invest in a wide theatrical release. The outlook was bleak, and even if a distributor was found, they would likely invest minimal resources.

Martin's goal was Netflix, and he was confident he could sell it to them for $40 million. Harris took note of this directive.

Martin then thought about 'Zero Dark Thirty'. In his previous life, the lead actress had been Jessica Chastain. Due to a few insertions, Chastain had turned down Megan Ellison's invitation and never accepted the role. Directed by James Cameron's ex-wife Kathryn Bigelow, the film's prospects weren't great. After 'The Hunt Locker,' Martin didn't recall Bigelow directing any notable projects.

He called Jessica Chastain to verify the production cost of 'Zero Dark Thirty', which was $40 million. "For this one, the highest bid will not exceed $20 million," he instructed Harris.

Harris replied, "When banks liquidate bad assets, they usually sell them below cost. I'll stay in Los Angeles to handle these transactions."

"Good, hurry up and act," Martin urged.

Harris left the studio without further delay, contacting his team to make preparations.

Martin immediately headed out, crossing the overpass connecting ABC TV and Disney Studios. He entered Disney Studios, heading towards the 'La La Land' set to rehearse singing and dancing.

This film required extensive singing and dancing scenes, and Martin knew that achieving the best results would require rigorous early practice.

Just before entering the piano room, he received a call from overseas.

"Hello, is this Mr. Davis?" he asked cautiously.

Martin answered, "Hello, I'm Martin."

The voice on the other end quickly responded, "I'm Clara, Mr. Davis, do you remember me? Last year, you came to Seoul for the premiere, and Samsung hosted a grand welcome party for you and Director Ridley Scott. I attended that party, and we exchanged contact information when you left."

Martin had almost forgotten, but her reminder jogged his memory. He recalled that Clara had studied in the United States and spoke fluent English.

"Yes, I remember you," Martin said, recalling the elegant woman he had met. "How can I help you, Clara?"

Clara's voice lit up with relief. "My contract with my agency here has expired, and I'm having trouble signing with a new one. I want to try my luck in Hollywood, but I don't know anyone else there. You were the only person I thought to reach out to."

Martin understood her situation immediately. Hollywood was a tough nut to crack, especially for actors from abroad without established connections. Clara's low profile would make it even harder.

After a moment of thought, he said, "My agency, WMA, has branches in East Asia. You could join WMA and start building your career from there."

The entertainment industry in her home country was notoriously demanding, almost like slavery. The opportunity to go to Hollywood was a beacon of hope. "Martin, I'll take your advice," Clara said eagerly.

Martin gave her a contact number. "Reach out to this person at WMA. They'll help you get started."

"Thank you, Martin," Clara said, her voice full of gratitude. They ended the call.

Martin then headed to the studio, where he ran into director Damien Chazelle.

Damien stopped him, looking thoughtful. "Martin, I need to discuss something from the casting process. Recently, Katherine Daddario auditioned for the role of Alexis and passed. Mia will be accompanied by two supporting roles, and I have some ideas about the casting."

Martin nodded, signaling him to continue. "For these two roles, I think it would be best to cast a Black actress and a Latina or actresses of other ethnicities. This will help the film avoid some criticism and reflect the diversity trend in the industry."

Martin understood this trend was becoming more prominent in the United States. It was important for the film to represent diversity.

"That makes sense. Go ahead with it," Martin agreed.

Damien nodded. "I'll inform the casting team right away."

Martin proceeded to the piano room. After finishing the piano and dance practice, he received a call from Alexandrovich, who had just returned from Europe and was eager to meet up.